Don’t Put Wet Rocks in a Campfire

Ever heard of rocks exploding in a campfire? Can it really happen, and how dangerous is it? What happens if you spill molten metal on concrete? Today TheBackyardScientist shows us how and why concrete and rocks spall during a fire.

Why Construction Cranes Collapse

Because they are so pervasive and they do such a dangerous job of lifting massive objects high into the air, occasionally cranes fail. In this video, Practical Engineering walks us through some of the reasons these failures occur, using historical events as case studies.

Where Does Outer Space Actually Begin?

Short answer: it depends.

Bizarre Engineering Rituals of Canada and How They Came to Be

Surfacing a Submarine in the Arctic Ocean

Destin of SmarterEveryDay continues his series from aboard a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine.

Do Real EMP Weapons Actually Exist?

World Record Domino Set-Up Robot

NASA rocket scientist Mark Rober built a robot that precisely sets up dominoes far faster than humans can. This huge mural would have taken a team of workers a week to set up. This robot will do the same in 24 hours.

What Really Happened at the Arecibo Telescope?

On the morning of December 1st, 2020, one of the most iconic astronomical instruments in the world collapsed. The Arecibo Telescope was not only one of the largest radio telescopes in the world, it was also a fascinating problem in structural engineering. Its loss was felt across the world. Practical Engineering provides a quick lesson on radio telescopes, a summary of the failure, and some discussion about the engineering lessons learned in the wake of the event. I hope that eventually, they can replace the telescope with an instrument as futuristic and forward-looking as the Arecibo telescope was when first conceived. It was an ambitious and inspiring structure, and we sure will miss it.

What Really Happened at the Oroville Dam Spillway?

February 2017 saw one of the most serious dam-related engineering incidents in history with the failure of the service spillway at Oroville Dam. Whether they realized it or not, the people living and working downstream of Oroville Dam put their trust in the engineers, operators, and regulators to keep them safe and sound against disaster. In this case, that trust was broken. Practical Engineering provides a summary of the event, including an explanation of the engineering details behind the failure.

Shattering a Wine Glass with Sound and Filmed at 187,500 FPS

Gav of The Slow Mo Guys plays a wine glass’s least favorite sound at extreme volumes and captures the results at 187,500 fps. That’s around 7500x slower than you can see with your own face.